Star Tribune: "GOP tries to make Wilson the issue"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Last update: July 30, 2005 at 5:41 PM
GOP tries to make Wilson the issue
Eric Black, Star Tribune
July 31, 2005 ROVE0731.SIDE

http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/5534362.html

As part of its defense of White House adviser Karl Rove, the Republican National Committee is attacking the credibility of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson. But in trying to portray Wilson as a liar, the RNC is making an unsubstantiated claim that brings its own credibility into question.

One RNC e-mail to journalists was titled: "Joe Wilson's Top Ten Worst Inaccuracies and Misstatements." Atop the list was an allegation that Wilson claims he was sent to Niger by Vice President Cheney. This claim is relevant to some of the efforts to explain why Rove told reporters about Wilson's wife's CIA connections. Prominent columnists, newspapers and broadcast journalists have repeated the assertion. But the RNC cannot produce a case when Wilson claimed that Cheney sent him.

Out of context: As another part of the backup, the RNC also has featured this quote from Wilson on CNN's "Late Edition," Aug. 3, 2003: "What they did, what the office of the vice president did, and, in fact, I believe now from Mr. Libby's statement, it was probably the vice president himself..." That is the only segment the RNC published from the CNN interview. But when Wilson completed the sentence, he again said only that someone in the vice president's office, possibly Cheney, had asked the CIA to investigate the Niger matter, which led to Wilson's trip.

In the sentence immediately preceding the fragment the RNC circulated, Wilson said: "Neither the vice president nor Dr. Rice nor even George Tenet knew that I was traveling to Niger." The RNC excluded that sentence from its press releases.

[creeksneakers2]

1. More should be said in the media when the RNC lies

like this. That Star Tribune is one of the few to ever confront the right when they put out bogus information.

[jbfam4]

2. Thanks for posting this

A copy of this should be sent to all 24/7 news stations.

I am amazed that John Meachem got taken in...